Permaculture substantially lowers our ecological footprints through managementof resources in food production, water retention, alternative ways of building,and use of renewable energies. It is based on ecological and biologicalprinciples and practices. People mimic nature to minimize work and maximizeresults while still living sustainably.

When people understand the principles and practices of Permaculture, they candesign their own environments for self-sufficiency. Over time, usingPermaculture, we can replaceindustrial systems, from food to water to energy, with human settlements thatwork with nature rather than those which attempt to "subdue" or"tame" nature.

In the meantime, Permaculture design provides a multi-faceted career foryoung people selecting their life’s work or for those who are changingcareers. It can and will teach all of us how to live a sustainable and peacefullife on a daily basis.

Permaculture was started in Australia by Bill Mollison and David Holmgren almost 40 years ago. It is based on the following three ethical principles:

1. Care of the earth 2. Care of its inhabitants 3. Sharing the surplus

Permaculture uses a set of principles and practices to design/build sustainable human settlements. All elements of a Permaculture design have multiple functions and all functions are supported by multiple elements.

Permaculture is part technical, partphilosophy, part creative, part spiritual connection with the earth, and evenpart magic. Enter the magical world of Permaculture here.

In discussing our current peak oilsituation, Permaculture cofounderDavid Holmgren said to Jason Bradford…."the decline inenergy flow and the decline in net energy or energy profit is leading to more ofsociety’s wealth being put back into the energy harvesting sectors and that’sleaving less and less for other sectors. Now, from the economists point of viewthis is all contributing to economic growth and they don’t distinguish betweenone form of economic growth and another. So, they don’t actually see, initially,any problem in that."

Holmgren continues…."thisis like a peasant farmer who has to cultivate his fields, use a substantialamount of energy to hoe (his) field and then his soil structure’s declining andit’s getting harder and rockier and he’s having to cultivate it twice to get thesoil in good enough condition for the crop to germinate. Well, he’s just putback twice as much activity. You know, there’s twice as much economic activitygoing on but he didn’t (get) any more food out of it and that’s basically whatis starting to happen in society. And, of course, what that means there’s lessresources for education, for health, for maintaining public infrastructure, andall of the other parts of society that we would say are the real things that wevalue rather than just having a lot more oil drilling rigs and a lot moreequipment and people employed in just digging resources out of the ground."

Permaculture Using Nature Rather than "Subduing" Nature Building Sustainable Lives and Communities

Students Prepare to Build an Herb SpiralHands-On Experience in Dick Pierce’s Permaculture Class

There are now constant Permacultureevents in DFW and North Central–even into East Texas. Find these events here: http://facebook.com/dfwecovillage You do not need to be a member of facebook to view these events.

Skill BuildingClasses. We have lost many of the skills that we need to prosper in energydescent. Others skills are new with new technologies that will make what couldbe a trying time better for us all. Come learn.Come share yourskills.

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